Dear Lord, please help me to feel truly sorry for my sins and other things that displeased You. I have this inspiration to say something about the verse "Love never fails". In your Mercy, I believe it would not displease You. Dear Lord, please stop my mind from saying anything that would contradict Your words. Amen.
Again, what is the Love that we are talking about?
Although today's world may tell us many things about it, Love simply means the Love of God. It is the Love that God has. God is Love. It is God's Love and not any other love. For us, Love is equal to God's Love.
First of all, I believe that we cannot comprehend God's Love in its true sense. However, as humans who are loved by such incomprehensible love, we may, at times, need to feel the love or be blessed to feel the love or be able to comprehend in reference to our human terms. If we end up doing one or more of these things, I believe, we have to be sure that it is only because of God's graces we are able to do so.
It is important to remind ourselves that, it is because of God's Love we exist first of all. This is true irrespective of whether we feel it or not, and whether we accept it or not. God's Love therefore is present in us (all the times) in this way.
However, in our free will, which is again gifted to us by God, we may choose not to believe this fact, or we may believe but choose not to accept it fully, or we may accept it but choose not to freely let it inside (receive), or we may receive it but choose not to let it flow outside of us.
If I say, God's love was there in me at a certain point of time, then the real fact is that I could feel His love, to whatever human level possible, only at that moment of time as opposed to the other times.
Failure:
an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success; nonperformance of something due, required, or expected; a subnormal quantity or quality; an insufficiency
Success:
the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end; the terminal point in a race
From these dictionary details, we know that the word failure is associated to goals, or measurable achievements, or definable expectations, etc.
One thing is, if you do not have a predefined goal or expectation or condition to be met, with or without time bound, no one can determine that you failed or succeeded.
However, we read in the Bible that "Love never fails". It can also be written as "Love cannot fail", without changing its meaning.
One simple reasoning for why it cannot fail is because God is Love, and since it is God's Love, and God is perfect, it cannot fail. We cannot say that God's Love does not have a purpose. Love's purpose is Love itself. It has an immeasurable purpose. Failure is also based on measuring the result against some (quantitative) definitions or expectations. Love cannot be measured. However Love can be felt and tasted with our inner being. One simple reason, why we cannot measure is that it is not quantifiable. The concept of measurement, that we have in our science, comes and takes meaning and shape only in our knowledge and understanding of this world.
God's love is not measurable in human terms. So love shall not be valued or shall not be evaluated in that way. Most importantly, love shall not be used as a tool to value or evaluate anything.
Things that are measured also might have associated limits or conditions. God's Love has no limits by itself, since it is connected to the eternity and is everlasting. For those who desires Bible words, in Jeremiah 31:3, God says: I have loved you with an everlasting love. I do not know if our loving God said this to any particular person or group only and not to everyone in this world. Since we know not the mystery, and since being His creation and there can be no limit to the degree of our trust(faith) in Him, we can faithfully and undoubtedly say God loved me with an everlasting love.
Well, at any point of time, if I try to measure or set goals to an act of the Love of God that comes out of me, I would eventually then see the negative effects. Due to giving heed to the teachings of this wonderful world, time and again, we always resort back to measuring the Love of God that is in us, in someway or other, as if it were originated from us in the first place.
As such, there could be several ways one would try to measure or set goals to the Love of God. I will try to think about something here. You can do too.
Let us say I just acted to do some help to my spouse. This is no doubt that I acted in the Love of God with my spouse.
One way I would end up measuring this is, like I would feel or think that I did spend an hour with my spouse. Here I added a measurement to the act of love.
Another way I would possibly set a measurement to this is, in expecting something from the beloved, so thinking that my spouse did not do me a "worthy" favor in return for my act of love.
Similarly, a feeling of achievement or completion mostly implies that our heart is on a goal mode, quantifiable in some material manner, as opposed to simply feeling pleased making our beloved or our lover happy.
In all these thoughts mentioned above, we see that there is a call for deep meditation or close observation on these things in order to get some understanding. We are talking about things with respect to our deep feelings and thoughts.
However, in this world, where we believe by faith and the Word, the evil spirit is constantly working against the goodness, it is not a surprise to learn that we are in need to do something to feel natural.
That is why, I personally believe, we are called to pray always. Praying always ensures that we are in the love of God always.
Some of us, I believe tend to call this Love as Grace, which is fine. However, there is a huge difference you need to clarify it too, so that you do not end up setting traps for the evil spirit. Please ask the Lord for the difference.
When you ever ask her, why she is doing it? She would simply say either that she does not know or she would say that she does it because it is just the way it is. What she really saying is: She is just acting in the love of God. However, in a mother, it is so pure and cannot be spoiled, that a mother known not to measure or to have the feeling of achievement.
God's love is eternal and has an eternal chain. In a way, we could say this. God's love always achieves and meets its needs, even excessively if we have to truly say it. Since it is God's love, we cannot comprehend or understand it complete enough to know or define its goals.
Remember the following: the measurements, goals and achievements are worldly material things. They are limited and so are temporary.
First when I do or realize some thing in love, I should make sure to realize that it is the love of God that is acting in me, and better I do not measure or try to set a goal about it. Also, as I believe in our Lord that, many of the problems, that we have in our relationships, are due to the fact that we are trying, one way or other, either through our expectations or through the feeling of achievement and appreciation, to quantify this existence of the Love of God in human terms.
Let us offer ourselves to receive the Love of God. Let us yield to it without any measure, like a good mother would do. Isn't this what was done by our Lord until His death on the Cross? Let us pray to our Lord to help us.
Love never fails
Basic facts
In the letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, we read "Love never fails".Again, what is the Love that we are talking about?
Although today's world may tell us many things about it, Love simply means the Love of God. It is the Love that God has. God is Love. It is God's Love and not any other love. For us, Love is equal to God's Love.
First of all, I believe that we cannot comprehend God's Love in its true sense. However, as humans who are loved by such incomprehensible love, we may, at times, need to feel the love or be blessed to feel the love or be able to comprehend in reference to our human terms. If we end up doing one or more of these things, I believe, we have to be sure that it is only because of God's graces we are able to do so.
It is important to remind ourselves that, it is because of God's Love we exist first of all. This is true irrespective of whether we feel it or not, and whether we accept it or not. God's Love therefore is present in us (all the times) in this way.
However, in our free will, which is again gifted to us by God, we may choose not to believe this fact, or we may believe but choose not to accept it fully, or we may accept it but choose not to freely let it inside (receive), or we may receive it but choose not to let it flow outside of us.
If I say, God's love was there in me at a certain point of time, then the real fact is that I could feel His love, to whatever human level possible, only at that moment of time as opposed to the other times.
Details
Let us see what the dictionary says about some words.Failure:
an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success; nonperformance of something due, required, or expected; a subnormal quantity or quality; an insufficiency
Success:
the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one's goals.
a person or thing that has had success, as measured by attainment of goals, wealth, etc.:
Goal:a person or thing that has had success, as measured by attainment of goals, wealth, etc.:
the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end; the terminal point in a race
From these dictionary details, we know that the word failure is associated to goals, or measurable achievements, or definable expectations, etc.
One thing is, if you do not have a predefined goal or expectation or condition to be met, with or without time bound, no one can determine that you failed or succeeded.
However, we read in the Bible that "Love never fails". It can also be written as "Love cannot fail", without changing its meaning.
One simple reasoning for why it cannot fail is because God is Love, and since it is God's Love, and God is perfect, it cannot fail. We cannot say that God's Love does not have a purpose. Love's purpose is Love itself. It has an immeasurable purpose. Failure is also based on measuring the result against some (quantitative) definitions or expectations. Love cannot be measured. However Love can be felt and tasted with our inner being. One simple reason, why we cannot measure is that it is not quantifiable. The concept of measurement, that we have in our science, comes and takes meaning and shape only in our knowledge and understanding of this world.
God's love is not measurable in human terms. So love shall not be valued or shall not be evaluated in that way. Most importantly, love shall not be used as a tool to value or evaluate anything.
Things that are measured also might have associated limits or conditions. God's Love has no limits by itself, since it is connected to the eternity and is everlasting. For those who desires Bible words, in Jeremiah 31:3, God says: I have loved you with an everlasting love. I do not know if our loving God said this to any particular person or group only and not to everyone in this world. Since we know not the mystery, and since being His creation and there can be no limit to the degree of our trust(faith) in Him, we can faithfully and undoubtedly say God loved me with an everlasting love.
Well, at any point of time, if I try to measure or set goals to an act of the Love of God that comes out of me, I would eventually then see the negative effects. Due to giving heed to the teachings of this wonderful world, time and again, we always resort back to measuring the Love of God that is in us, in someway or other, as if it were originated from us in the first place.
As such, there could be several ways one would try to measure or set goals to the Love of God. I will try to think about something here. You can do too.
Let us say I just acted to do some help to my spouse. This is no doubt that I acted in the Love of God with my spouse.
One way I would end up measuring this is, like I would feel or think that I did spend an hour with my spouse. Here I added a measurement to the act of love.
Another way I would possibly set a measurement to this is, in expecting something from the beloved, so thinking that my spouse did not do me a "worthy" favor in return for my act of love.
Similarly, a feeling of achievement or completion mostly implies that our heart is on a goal mode, quantifiable in some material manner, as opposed to simply feeling pleased making our beloved or our lover happy.
In all these thoughts mentioned above, we see that there is a call for deep meditation or close observation on these things in order to get some understanding. We are talking about things with respect to our deep feelings and thoughts.
Conclusive thoughts
Receive and live in the Love of God
First we have to believe, accept, receive, and realize the Love of God. It is better if every moment of life is filled with this Love of God. First of all every moment of our life is actually the result of His love. So, it is unnatural to not to have that in our conscience.However, in this world, where we believe by faith and the Word, the evil spirit is constantly working against the goodness, it is not a surprise to learn that we are in need to do something to feel natural.
That is why, I personally believe, we are called to pray always. Praying always ensures that we are in the love of God always.
Some of us, I believe tend to call this Love as Grace, which is fine. However, there is a huge difference you need to clarify it too, so that you do not end up setting traps for the evil spirit. Please ask the Lord for the difference.
It is better not to (try to) measure the love directly or indirectly
Similarly it is better not to work goal based when we are in love
Let me share with you a nice example. Have you seen a mother? A good mother would never measure her work or feel achievement in taking care of her child. May be she is pleased in feeding her child. That is different from the feeling of achievement. Achievement demands appreciation, etc. Whereas being pleased is not.When you ever ask her, why she is doing it? She would simply say either that she does not know or she would say that she does it because it is just the way it is. What she really saying is: She is just acting in the love of God. However, in a mother, it is so pure and cannot be spoiled, that a mother known not to measure or to have the feeling of achievement.
God's love is eternal and has an eternal chain. In a way, we could say this. God's love always achieves and meets its needs, even excessively if we have to truly say it. Since it is God's love, we cannot comprehend or understand it complete enough to know or define its goals.
Remember the following: the measurements, goals and achievements are worldly material things. They are limited and so are temporary.
First when I do or realize some thing in love, I should make sure to realize that it is the love of God that is acting in me, and better I do not measure or try to set a goal about it. Also, as I believe in our Lord that, many of the problems, that we have in our relationships, are due to the fact that we are trying, one way or other, either through our expectations or through the feeling of achievement and appreciation, to quantify this existence of the Love of God in human terms.
Let us offer ourselves to receive the Love of God. Let us yield to it without any measure, like a good mother would do. Isn't this what was done by our Lord until His death on the Cross? Let us pray to our Lord to help us.
Good wishes
Alleluia
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